Tomorrow
by Rhadeya
Summary: Jack watches Riddick from the shadows... And Riddick makes the decision that Jack can't... Please R
1. Tomorrow

_**Disclaimer**: PB and its characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them out to play. I'm making no money, so please don't sue._

_**Author's notes:** This one is for Andrew, a wonderful friend who's fighting cancer. His strength has inspired me to write this :)_

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Tomorrow_

It's a strange world really, full of promise and mystery. I've been here four days, and already I'm thinking strange thoughts. Thoughts like, the idea of 'tomorrow'. People look forward to it, but it never really comes. You never wake up in the morning and think _"It's tomorrow"_ because it ain't tomorrow any longer, it's become today. But everyone says "I'll do it tomorrow" or "It can wait til tomorrow". I wonder whether anyone else ever has the feeling that some things are better left for tomorrow; those things are never welcome in today.

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Tomorrow_

  
I'll get myself that new pair of pants tomorrow, the black ones with all the handy little pockets, the ones that remind me of him. The man who has been the central point of my life since I was thirteen years old. The man who went from soulless murderer to an actual human being in the space of one, very long, day and night. The man who's occupied my thoughts every moment since; whose silver eyes and tender caresses invade my dreams each night. The man who's standing a few metres away, on the other side of the market. Richard B. Riddick. I've been watching him for several days, as he gathers equipment to make repairs to his ship. I never move out of the shadows, never let him know I'm here. Not yet.

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Tomorrow_

  
Maybe I'll walk over to him tomorrow and say hello. Or maybe I'll stay in the shadows, hidden from sight, and just watch him, as I'm doing now. The warmth from the generator, powering the food stand I'm hiding behind, keeps the chill night air at bay, and helps keep me hidden from Riddick's special eyes. He's been in this market at least twice a day since he got here, four days ago. But I've been watching him longer than that. In fact, I've been watching him like this for years. Ever since he dropped me and Imam off at New Mecca, I've wondered why he never took me with him. Doesn't he care about me? Maybe he thinks I'd just be unnecessary baggage? Or maybe he does care, and doesn't want me to get hurt? Whatever his reasons were then, I can't help but wonder if they would hold true now...

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Tomorrow_

  
The market closes early tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be able to watch him get a meal at Rosey's, or stop for a drink and a 'chat' at **_The Pit_**. Always thought that was a funny name for a bar, but having seen some of the people who frequent it regularly, it is rather appropriate. But I'll still be able to see him when he comes down in the morning. He always goes to the same shop, at the same time each morning, and looks through the window at something on display. It took me ages to summon the courage to look, but I did look this morning. There, to one side of the display and partially hidden by a poster, was a blue uniform top. The name badge sewn onto it read **_C. Fry_**. Afterwards, I did a few covert checks on solar cycles and what I found has scared me. It's been over five years since I booked myself onto a back lanes ship bound for New Mecca; a journey that would change my life forever.

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Tomorrow_

  
At 2:47 am tomorrow, it'll be exactly five years to the minute, that the sun set on our hellish day. Thing is, once the sun went down and the darkness came, we all went to Hell. I guess I'll have to stay up tonight, say a prayer for the poor souls who died in that Hell. Maybe I'll tell Carolyn what I'm doing, but I bet she already knows. I wonder if she approves of the man that Riddick is now, the man she helped him to become? Sometimes it seems like she answers me when I ask her for help; things seem to happen that make the decision for me if I can't make it myself. I wish she was here now, to help me when I need her the most. She'd know what to do about Riddick. But, if she was still alive, they'd probably have got together when we escaped Hell. Not that I would have minded that then, but I would mind it now. Cos now, I want him for myself. Not that he'll ever see me as anyone other than "little Jack", the geeky thirteen year old who shaved my head and pretended I was a boy. He probably wouldn't even recognise me now; I could walk right past him and he'd never know who I was.

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Tomorrow_

  
I hadn't realised it was so late, but Andy is closing up his food stall, so it must be at least seven. If I don't get moving now, the geni will go off and I'll no longer be hidden from Riddick. I'll have to be careful when I get to **_The Pit_** tonight, just in case the bounty hunters are about again. Not that they'd be welcome in that bar, or any other on this godforsaken lump of rock. I'd better send word to Imam tomorrow, just to let him know I'm still alive. At least he's stopped trying to tell me to stop following Riddick, I guess he's finally accepted the simple truth of the matter. Yeah, tomorrow I'll send word to him and then I'll go to the parts merchant when Riddick's there. I'll pretend to be buying some bits for my ship, the ship I don't actually own yet, and see if he has any idea who I am. It'll be fun, but I'll do it tomorrow.

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Tomorrow_

  
Well, I better move or I'm gonna end up getting locked in here tonight. That's the last thing I want, unless I was trapped here with him. I've lost sight of Riddick, and I curse under my breath; I should have been more careful. I guess the need for secrecy has gone though, so I step out of the alcove confidently. I glance around but can't see any sign of him, so I head towards the south gate. Time to head back to my digs and get changed, then slip down to **_The Pit_** and continue my watching. The south gate closes behind me and I shiver slightly; the road ahead is dark and empty. I've only taken a few steps when I realise there's someone behind me. Calm, I have to remain calm. I know how to look after myself, Riddick taught me that before he left us. I keep my walk at the same pace, but I want to go faster. It's not far to the dingy hostel but, at the moment, it could be light years away. I can't let myself get hurt, cos I have to much to do tomorrow. As a hand closes around my arm, and another is pressed over my mouth, I realise the universal truth...

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Tomorrow never comes..._


	2. Today

**Disclaimer**: PB and its characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them out to play. I'm making no money, so please don't sue.

**Feedback**: Yes please :)

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Today_

  
I can feel that slight prickling sensation on the back of my neck again. I've been feeling it most of my life; it's been there so long it's almost like a best friend, unseen but warning me of danger. Someone is watching me with great intensity, but I don't feel any malice in that gaze. Casually, with the ease of long years of experience, I scan the market area around me. The play of different shades of colour around me, seen only by eyes as unique as mine, is a carnival of colour. The edges are blurry today, meaning the air is slightly warmer than usual, and it's more difficult to distinguish whether someone is nervous or simply just too hot. My eyes usually give me an advantage over normal people, but today my other senses have had to become heightened to compensate.

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Today_

  
Against the far wall, hidden in an alcove beside _Andy's Galactic Feast_, is my unseen watcher. The heat from the food stall's generator makes her body heat less visible, but I can clearly see the woman sitting in the alcove. It's hard to keep my face a mask of no emotion as I realise who it is, hidden away in the shadows. Jack! I have to turn away, so she doesn't see the smile tugging at my lips. If I smiled, when she could see my face, she'd know that I'd seen her and that would spoil the surprise I have in store for her. She's been hiding in the shadows all her life, but she won't be hiding much longer. After today, she'll never be in the shadows again.

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Today_

  
Maybe I should just walk over and speak to her. But that would spoil everything. She's been watching me like this for years, even before I knew who she was. Before I knew who I was. She thinks I don't know she's there, but I've always known when she's near. Wherever I am, in whatever filthy dive I happen to come across, her presence is like a soft blanket wrapped around me, blocking out the harsh reality of life on the run. I can feel her when she's near, no matter how well she conceals herself. When I first saw her in **_The Pit_**, four days ago, I nearly made my move then. I hated the thought of the looks she was getting from the other denizens of the bar, those men would think nothing of hurting her, or taking her by force. There are two bodies not far from here, carefully hidden. I'll never tell her how close she came to a terrible ordeal, but those men will never hurt another innocent woman ever again. After I killed them, I had to fight the urge to go and take her from the hostel, to get her to the safety of my ship. But I'll be leaving here tonight, so now is the perfect moment for me to make my move. Her attention has been diverted by Andy shutting up his stall, so it's time to get out of the market and wait for her to leave. I slip away unseen, just as she turns her gaze back to the spot where I was a moment ago. The look of utter loss on her face is almost more than I can bear, but it won't be long now. _Soon Jack, very soon_, I promise her silently. You'll be mine before this night is over.

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Today_

  
Just outside the South Gate, I find a spot to conceal myself and wait for her. She'll be along soon, and she always uses this gate to leave the market. It's only a short walk to the dingy, bug infested hostel she's staying in. She's still using the name Jackie Badd, which amused me the first time I saw it on a passenger manifest. I nearly went looking for her then, but I kept my distance and watched over her. There were a few times she got into trouble during the first year she followed me, but I sorted it out and she stayed safe. I watched her grow up, but it wasn't until I saw her on Alkelie Station that I realised how much she'd changed. I was just over a year ago when she turned up there, having been delayed on Keyes IV for six months. When I saw the name show up at one of the cheap hostels, I went over there to see her. I kept out of sight, as I always did, but when she stepped out of the hostel and into the light, I nearly made a mistake we both would have regretted. Seeing how much she had grown up, I nearly lost control and went to claim her then. But she was still a child, in the eyes of the law at least, and I knew that when I made her mine, there was to be no doubts for either of us. My breath catches in my throat as the South Gate opens and Jack steps through, pausing on the edge of the circle of light cast by the gate's lamp. She's changed again in the past twelve months, become even more beautiful than she was a year ago. Yes, today she'll finally be mine.

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Today_

  
I'm making no effort to hide the sound of my footsteps as I come up behind her, but she knows I'm here and I think she's ready to fight if she needs to. I wonder how much of my training she remembers? I think I'll find out. Grinning in the darkness, I close the distance between us and wrap one hand around her arm, placing the other over her mouth to keep her quiet. She struggles as I pull her away from the road, into the darkness and out of sight. I can smell her fear, but there's another scent mixed with it, a scent I know well. She knows it's me now, and she's turned on. Her fear recedes, replaced by the delicate scent of her skin, the hint of apple blossom in her hair. I take my hand away form her mouth and she whispers my name, that single word full of longing, lust and love. I murmur her name in her ear, pulling her close and feeling her shiver in excitement. I'll tell her how I feel about her later, right now there is a longing in both of us that needs to be satisfied. I loosen my grip on her arm, turning her around to face me. Her lips are parted slightly, her breathing fast and shallow. She is every inch a woman, and now she's eighteen I don't have to wait any longer. I look into her eyes and see into the depths of her soul. The surge of exultation that surges through me is a little surprising; she wants me as much as I want her. She always has, but I couldn't do anything about it until today. As my lips claim hers, the world around us fades away but one truth becomes crystal clear...

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Today she's mine, and she'll be mine forever..._


	3. Soon

_**Summary**: Jack thinks about her past..._   
_**Disclaimer**: PB and its characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them out to play. I'm making no money, so please don't sue.   
**Author's notes**: Thanks to the positive feedback everyone, I am continuing this story. Hope it remains at the high standard of the previous chapters :)_

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**   
3. Soon**

I often wonder what would have happened if I had never booked passage on the Hunter-Gratzner. What would my life have been like if I'd simply stayed where I was, and not gone off looking for something different. Would I have still become the person I am today? My life before the crash remains the same, unchangeable and horrific. The lies, the deceit, the pain... they're still there, and I can't forget them, no matter how hard I try. I guess one day, I'll have to tell him about my past, though he never asked about it after we escaped that planet. We were together for only a few months before he left me and Imam on New Mecca, but he never once asked me about my life before we met.

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Soon_

There'll be time enough soon to try and explain that time, before we became a part of each other's lives. I'm just scared that when he finds out who I was, what I was, things will change between us. I've spent half my life in love with him, yet I still don't know how he will react when he finds out about my past. He was so tender and gentle with me last night, as if I really were the virgin I claimed to be. Will it bother him to know I was no more a virgin last night than he was? Will he find the thought of touching me abhorrent when he finds out how many had me, even before we ever met? I was told once, that you're still a virgin until you are willingly intimate with someone. Strange that those words would come from a policeman, as he was waiting for an ambulance to arrive, to help a seven year old girl. I never forgot those words, nor the kindness of that poor young policeman. I wonder if he's still there, in that godforsaken city, helping other young girls, the way he helped me?

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Soon_

I can feel Riddick's chest rise and fall beneath my arm, the gentle rhythm of a deep sleep. I wonder how long it is since he slept this deeply? On the skiff, he slept lightly, always just below the surface of consciousness. I still remember thinking that he reminded me of a cat in that respect, and his hearty laugh when I told him that little fact. His eyes had held an impish twinkle as he looked at me, making purring noises. He loved to tease me then, when things were still easy between us, before I kissed him. He used to tickle me too, and that's what led to the distance between us.

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Soon_

As soon as I kissed, I knew there would be trouble. Imam was asleep at the back of the skiff, while Riddick and I were having a quiet discussion in the front. As usual, the serious discussion deteriorated into a round of tickling, with me having to bite my lip to keep from making any noise that might wake the holy man. I'd somehow managed to be half draped over Riddick, as he tickled me unmercifully, and before I thought about what I was doing, I'd reached out and placed my hand on the back of his neck. As soon as I'd pulled his head down and pressed my lips against his, time had seemed to stop. For one blissful moment, nothing existed except the two of us. And then he'd pulled away from me, and I knew that the easiness between us had gone. I still curse my own stupidity for the thoughtless actions of that moment, but the memory of that kiss was burned into my soul that day. And every day since then, I've prayed that one day I would feel it again. For the last five years, I've wanted him to kiss me, and not pull away like he did then. I've wanted him to hold me, to take me to heights of passion I couldn't even imagine, and he did just that last night. But, if he really wants to spend eternity with me, as he promised last night, he'll have to know who I was before we met. A sudden wave of exhaustion washes over me, and I close my eyes, ready to sleep in safety now I'm with him.

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Soon. I'll tell him everything soon..._


	4. Forever

_**Summary**__: Jack thinks about her past..._  
_**Disclaimer**__: PB and its characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them out to play. I'm making no money, so please don't sue.  
__**Author's notes**__: Figured it was about time I finished the last chapter of this _

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**4. Forever**

Looking down at the woman asleep on my arms, I wonder what good deed I had done to deserve the miraculous gift of her love. She confided in me this evening, once we had finished our meagre meal, about the horrors of her life before she booked that fateful trip on the Hunter-Gratzner. Only years of practise kept me from showing any emotion as she poured out the things she had been through. As she poured her soul out to me, I vowed then to protect her for the rest of our lives.

_Forever_

I stroke her hair as she twitches in her sleep, soothing her through yet another nightmare. She has one most nights, and I soothe her during every moment of them. I know that one day, they will recede and she will be at peace with the universe, but until then, I will be here to ease the torment of her dreams. In the weeks since I took her from that tiny outpost, I have been torn between what I want and what is 'right' for her. The selfish part of me wants her to stay with me, by my side forever and beyond, but I know the risks that represents. The selfless part of me knows that she would be safer as far away from me as possible, but it acknowledges that if she found me once, she could easily do it again.

_Forever_

I cannot tell her that, after I left her on New Mecca with Imam, I did some digging into who she was and where she came from. I knew some of what she told me this evening, and took steps to ensure that the people responsible paid for the pain they had caused her. She trusted me tonight with the deepest darkest secrets of her soul, and I cannot sully that gift by admitting that I have already taken care of some of those involved.

_Forever_

As she drifted off to sleep in my arms tonight, sated physically and emotionally from several hours of passionate love-making, I finally understood why Carolyn had been willing to die for the survivors of the crash. By accepting the responsibility for them, she had been showing me the truth of the human soul. And even though I had gone back for those in the cave, I had never believed that they would remain in my life for very long. But a young girl, with a tortured past and an uncertain future, had somehow managed to find a chink in my armour, and wriggle her way through it. I realise now that she became part of my soul when I opened that cave and she smiled at me, telling me she knew I would come back for her. And now I understand that, no matter how dangerous it might be to have her with me, I cannot live life without her. She is part of me now, her soul and mine entwined for eternity.

_Forever. I will love and protect her forever._

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Hope it was a worthy end to this little fic


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